O/O to Small Fleet Question

I would try to get local customers for loads outbound and only use broker's for return runs if possible.

 

i would question wheter you will be able to keep your maint at 10cpm with a driver in it ........

 

GBV May I suggest that if you are going to be driving one of those trucks that you use a dispatcher that will do your paperwork and find the loads while you and the driver drive. I am thinking about doing this, get a few more post under your belt and then PM me so I can talk with you about doing this for you, I would work off of a percentage of your revenue. let me know. Thanks.

 

Just don't get to far ahead of yourself is my opinion. We started with one truck and are up to 10. Don't think because you have an extra truck it is going to make extra revenue all the time. Good drivers are not easy to come by. There are way to many that have the mindset that you are made of gold and you have an orchard of money trees in the back yard. Drivers no matter how good you treat them will jump ship in a heartbeat and your truck will be empty. We have a very low turn over rate but it gets rough if one quits and you have to find another to qualify. I hope you like baseball because curveballs are a norm when it comes to running a fleet. You will get to the point when you have to get out of the truck and do office work. I still drive but very little once every couple of months to fill in. I don't have the time to drive.

 

You won't have all your trucks running all the time. You should plan for a truck to sit until you find a qualified driver. There are also other considerations. You will have good drivers, but you will also have some who will steal, sell your fuel and abuse your equipment. If it weren't for drivers, you could make a lot of money owning trucks. Don't get me wrong, you can still earn good money, but your plans may be a little too ambitious, starting out. Then again, you could be right on target. I would caution you about taking on too much debt with this economy. I would also encourage you to consider the worst scenario when making your projections and plans for your business. If you have not run your authority and plan on doing so once you start buying trucks. I would suggest that you try running your authority with a single truck that you drive for a while before jumping into owning multiple trucks and also running your own authority. There is more paperwork running your authority and there are also other considerations. You could also start out by buying more trucks and leasing them on with your current carrier and later make the move to running your authority.

 

Yep, truckers are ######. Better truck, more $ were gone. I have a bridge for sale.

 

Think of the 80/20 rule. You will spend 80% of your time on 20% of your drivers if you hire well. That 20% will make you question your decision often.